1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the manufacturing of candles and, more particularly, to an automated process and apparatus for manufacturing candles in containers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Presently, some candles are manufactured by injecting liquid paraffin into molds, the paraffin being then allowed to cool before the finished candles are removed therefrom. Some candles are produced by compression molding solid granular wax materials although this practice is restricted to molds or containers having vertical walls only.
Other candles are manufactured in containers, such as glass jars, for use principally in sanctuaries. Such candles are produced by filling the jar by hand with the molten candle material (liquid paraffin). More particularly, the operator fills the jars using a hose which is connected to a liquid paraffin supply pipe.
Before filling the jars with liquid paraffin, a wick fixed to a metal wick holder (ferrule) which is produced on a machine intended for this purpose is positioned in the jar. The wick holder is of transverse dimensions equal to the inner transverse dimensions of the bottom of the jar and the wick is fixed to the wick holder at the center thereof. Consequently, the manual positioning of the wick holder inside the jar ensures that the wick extends collinearly to the axis of the jar. Once the jar is filled with liquid paraffin, it is necessary to temporarily provide holders for the wick which are placed on the edges defining the opening of the jar in order to ensure that the wick extends vertically and centrally in the jar until the liquid paraffin solidifies therein. The solidification process of the liquid paraffin can take from eight to ten hours, during which period the jars cannot be handled to prevent the wicks from displacing in the paraffin as it is solidifying.
After this solidification period, the top of the jar has to be levelled with liquid paraffin, since the solidification of the wax brings about a retraction at the center of the jar during primary solidification.
The above represents a manual process which requires a long cooling period for the paraffin and a lot of space to temporarily place the cases of jars for the filling and solidification steps thereof, before which the cases cannot be handled nor shipped nor stored.
The difficulty in centering the wicks in the jars before and during solidification represents a problem which causes an important loss of material. Indeed, after the final filling or topping off of the jars, the wicks which are too long must be cut in each jar.